Big data has played an incredibly important role in social media branding. Companies are using predictive analytics and big data for social media to better understand the behavior of their social media followers based on past interactions. This can be very helpful when they have big data sets that can help them grow their social media following and create more effective marketing campaigns. Once you’ve figured out how to boost social media engagement with big data, you’ve got endless possibilities in front of you.
Why Big Data is Central to Social Media Marketing
Social media has grown to be of prime importance in many areas of modern life. It is an almost inescapable presence that informs the way a large segment of the population interacts with each other and the larger world in general. The way we consume news, shop, and entertain ourselves are all affected by social media. Social media engagement measures the public shares, likes, and comments generated by an online business’ social media efforts. It is commonly used as a metric for evaluating an organization’s social media performance. Engaging with your customers on social media gives you an opportunity to build strong relationships with your followers. Responding to posts and messages allows you to connect directly with your customer, while at the same time presenting your response to the larger social media audience. Over time, these relationships can lead to an increased level of customer loyalty as well as increased sales. People are on social media platforms because they want to interact, and your business can only benefit from your active participation. Here are 4 ways to boost your social media engagement, and in the process, build a stronger business.
1. Use Photos and Videos in Your Posts
A visually interesting photograph or video creates a much more compelling post than does a text message. You want to get your followers’ attention and stand out in the vast sea of social networks. There is a much better chance of achieving that goal by using photos and videos. Visual media can be used in a number of ways:
- Product pictures – to introduce new additions or highlight particular products.
- Behind the scenes – to demonstrate how your product is made, or the creative process behind your service.
- Shop photos – if you have a brick-and-mortar presence these can add some personality to your online persona.
You want your users to like, repost or re-tweet interesting or funny videos and photos. Get enough of them to do that and you have a viral video on your hands, which can be the break you needed. It’s the modern-day equivalent of relaying information by word-of-mouth except that it is done at the speed of the Internet. Your social media engagement will certainly benefit from your use of visual media in your posts. As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.
2. Employ Social Media Tools
Software tools are available to assist us in managing many areas of our digital lives, and using social media is one of them. These tools can perform diverse functions, from keeping track of the number of shares and likes you are receiving to streamlining the process of posting and reposting to your social media sites. If you happen to have built your website with WordPress, as many website owners do, there are some tools designed especially for your use. According to venturebeat.com, WordPress now powers 30% of all websites, making it the leading platform by a wide margin. Its popularity has led to tools and plugins being developed to serve many needs of the website owner. Plugins that can help you use social media in a more advantageous way are available for your WordPress powered site. In addition to social media counters to inform you of the popularity of your posts, other functionality makes your site more friendly to social media users. Some of the plugins offer the ability to position customizable share buttons on your site. In some cases, your users can log into your site using their existing social media IDs. Streamlining the process of creating social media posts for your site is another advantage of some of the available plugins. Check out some of the best WordPress social media plugins and find one that works for your site.
3. Focus on Specific Social Networks
Your efforts at engaging your audience and customers through social media are destined to fail dismally if you are chasing the wrong group of users. Your target audience may favor one or several social media sites over others, and you can wind up wasting your time pursuing engagement on the less used platforms. Through the use of some research and analytics, you can narrow down the scope of your social media initiatives and use it where it will benefit your business the most. Some ways to identify which social networks are favored by your customers are:
- Survey your audience – either through direct questioning or anonymous polling, find out which networks are favored by your site’s visitors.
- Use share data – as mentioned previously, plugins can help track social media activity related to your site. This data can point you in the direction of the networks where you should be concentrating your energy.
- Research where competitor’s content is shared – there is good chance that their customers will have similar interests as yours and use the same networks.
Spending some time finding the right social networks on which to focus your resources can make a big difference in the level of social media engagement you can attain. You don’t want to focus on the wrong networks. Virtually every business should have a presence on Facebook. According to a survey by PSPrint, 55% of customer purchases were influenced by Facebook in 2015. Companies that neglect to focus on Facebook lose a lot of potential sales. However, there are other networks that are also important for many industries. It is important to find social networks that reach your target demographic.
4. Ask Your Followers Questions
Understanding your followers is a key to fostering an increased level of social media engagement with them. Most people like to express their opinions on their likes and dislikes, or the subjects that they are most interested in hearing about. You can use this information to tailor your content and to initiate conversations with your followers. Asking questions can be done by the direct route with polls and surveys or in a subtler fashion. Posting photos and videos with a number of response options can allow you to get a sense of what your followers prefer and how they might interact with your site without them feeling as if they are being polled. This may result in a better percentage of responses for you to study.
Social Media Engagement Depends on Big Data More Than Ever
Using these 4 tactics can help you increase the level of social media engagement you enjoy with your customers and followers. In today’s online business world, ignoring the potential benefits of social media to your company’s bottom line is to be done at your own risk. None of this would be possible without big data. It is crucial for understanding the base of social media followers every brand has accumulated and knowing how to monetize them to their full potential. Was this article helpful and informative? Leave us a comment with your thoughts in the section below.
